Nations around the world are reporting fewer COVID patients in hospital, than was the case with previous surges. However, the United States is proving a marked exception to this norm. We devote this post to unpacking U.S. record COVID hospitalization. Why is this happening, and what can the rest of the world learn from this?
How Bad Are Things in United States Right Now?
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported 145,982 people were in hospital with the virus on January 11, 2021. Media reported the White House was planning sending military personnel to help the six worst-affected states cope. Health staff there were taking additional strain, because a number of their co-workers contracted the illness.
BBC News reported Canadians were likewise feeling the pressure 3 days later, on January 14, 2021. Quebec Province was particularly taking the brunt of the local pandemic, with large parts of Canada also affected. Why are folk in South Africa and Europe having easier rides, when we see U.S. record COVID hospitalizations unpacking before our eyes?
Unpacking U.S. Record COVID Hospitalizations
Dr. Lewis Rubinson is chief medical officer of Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. He told BBC the U.S. hospitalization rate is ‘twice as high’ as previous surges because all admissions have COVID tests. And moreover COVID hospitalizations were more likely than in South Africa, where patients are often sent home and recover quickly.
However, Professor David Larsen, epidemiologist and global health expert at Syracuse University in New York puts a different spin. He told BBC United States has higher hypertension, and obesity rates than ‘in most other countries’. But it is also a matter of timing. South Africa’s surge arrived at the height of summer.
Dr. Mark Cameron is an associate professor of population and quantitative health sciences at Case Western University in Ohio. He believes the U.S. is suffering from ‘a perfect storm’ of Covid-19 comorbidities. Not to mention uneven access to healthcare services, and hostility to vaccines, masks, and other preventative measures.
Breaking News
Downside of Catching Omicron To Get It Over
